Friday, May 13, 2016

What's in the fire

Two years ago, I wrote a contemporary novel. My first one. I had a ton of
trouble with it. It started off as a mainstream women’s fiction novel about a
group of women friends, each with dysfunctional families and the problems they
each faced. That plot quickly faded away.

I became stuck with it. More stuck than I’ve ever
experienced with a novel.

Time went by and I decided to make the mainstream a romance.
I added a hero, focused more on the heroine, and faded the secondary characters
into the background.

I sent it out to an editor who said the relationship wasn’t
working. I really knew it wasn’t working before I even had it edited.Why I even thought it was ready to go out into the world yet, I don't know.

I received the edits back, dove into them, then abandoned
the story.I wrote two more historicals
in the meantime, but my mind was never far away from this contemporary.

I finished the edits today.It was a major overhaul, and I think the story is that much better for
it.

Next week it goes off to another developmental editor to see
what they think. Nothing wrong with the first editor's work, mind you. I’m just sending it to
another editor so I can have a fresh set of eyes look at it.